Holiday Recap

Back from hiatus, and boy oh boy was it a nice vaca. The hubby and I spent the last 4 days at my brother and his wife's house celebrating Christmas with Mexican food, 1500 piece puzzles, and lots of time with their 2 dogs. My pet love tank is full, but it will probably only last about a month before I start begging the hubby for a dog again.

For now, I'm still traveling, but the hubby has gone home.

I've got too much stored up to blog about, but for now I'm just going to share a simple holiday meal idea. First and foremost, since it's the holidays, here's a simple idea for a savory dinner reminiscent of big Sunday family dinners growing up.

*I adapted this recipe from Skinny Bitch Brown Gravy, omitting the oil and adding nutritional yeast to reduce calories and add protein, while also giving it a much richer flavor.

Roasted Veggies & Gravy

2 c. fresh stemmed green beans
6 beets, halved
6 brussels, halved
2 tsp. coconut oil
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. nutritional yeast
2 c. veggie broth
4 tbsp. Bragg's liquid aminos
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 bag Trader Joes' frozen brown rice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beets in aluminum foil with a little dab of coconut oil on each one and a sprinkle of salt over all of them. Make sure they are completely wrapped to create a steam pouch. Place in oven and roast for about 30 minutes or until beets are soft. Place green beans and brussels on roasting pan and roast for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, sift together flour, nutritional yeast, and pepper. Heat vegetable broth in medium saucepan. When hot, begin mixing in dry ingredients, whisking as you go. Continue whisking until gravy reaches desired consistency. Remove from heat and add Bragg's. Stir thoroughly and serve atop brown rice and roasted veggies.

Remember: whole foods vegan eating is not always just about saving the animals or the environment. It's not always about eating healthier food or choosing cheaper options. It's about simplicity. It's about enjoying the simple flavors that nature offers. Don't overthink your holiday meals! Just enjoy the beautiful simplicity that the earth offers.

What have I been doing to stay in shape while traveling? 

I wrote down what workout I was going to do before I left. That helped keep me organized and not feeling lost without my gym nearby. It is also keeping me on track and helping me not slack off just because I'm away from home.

I created 2 separate workouts that I do in a 4 day succession, taking a rest day on day 5.

Workout 1

Warm up: walk 2 minutes, jog 3-5 minutes OR 25 jumping jacks, 20 overhead lunges, 4 point hops for 1 minute

Dynamic stretching

[Sprint 20 seconds, keep clipping 10 seconds, jog 30 seconds] x 5

Recovery for 2 minutes

Repeat 5 times.

Circuit 3-5x:

Full sit-ups                           20-25 reps

Air squats                            20 reps

Push-ups                              30 seconds

Mountain climbers           50 reps

Workout 2

Warm up: walk 2 minutes, jog 3-5 minutes OR 25 jumping jacks, 20 overhead lunges, 4 point hops for 1 minute

Dynamic stretching

Circuit 3-5x:

Skaters lunges                    30-40 reps

Burpee lateral hops          6-8 reps

Dips                                       10-15 reps

Curling lunges                    20-30 reps

Spidermans                         30 reps

Remember that the holidays can be a great time to take some extra rest days. If you need them, plan them. If you don't plan them and then end up ditching your workout at the last minute, you're going to feel much worse. If you go in with a realistic plan, you can stick to your goals. 

MY GOAL: to come back from Christmas vacation feeling in better shape than when I left. 

SO FAR SO GOOD!!

Cheers,

Avocado Athlete